This marks the first 1st Friday since the Pride Center was re-christened with its new moniker, and we’ll be having a spectacular exhibition by Thomasa Nielsen. Please stop by from 5 to 9 PM and say hello! Here’s the profile I wrote on the artist and her show.
Romaine Brooks Gallery Artist Profile: Thomasa Nielsen, February 2011
One has to admire a woman who proudly cultivates a “penile colony.” Such is the term Thomasa Nielsen uses for her collection of penis portraits, some of which will be on display at her solo exhibition, “Perception and Perspective: The Penile Colony and Other Stories” for the month of February 2011 at the Romaine Brooks Gallery. Like much of her art, Nielsen offers challenges to both viewers and herself, starting with the genesis of how she came to paint an assortment of phalluses.
“My penile colony series took a while in the percolating,” she begins. “A number of years ago an intimate dialogue with a female friend regarding her views on male anatomy inspired a lot of thoughts. (She talked a lot about having sex, but confessed to finding male genitalia ugly. I had a hard time understanding this, it didn’t make any sense to me… it felt like she was missing something crucial.) I’ve been someone who has had a problem with double standards, so eventually the Penile Colony developed out of an appreciation for male anatomy and a desire to see more male nudes and odalisques.”
Nielsen’s artistic style has been influenced by a wide range of artists, and when she recites her litany of favorite contemporaries, the excitement and inspiration she feels are palpable: “I love Jenny Saville, Lucien Freud, Ron Muecks, John Currin and Evan Penny. I love the visceral quality of Saville’s painting, the intensity of her focus, and her ability to confront uncomfortable subjects. Penny’s figurative sculptures are fascinating, and, depending on the viewpoint, they are either grossly-distorted or in perfect perspective. Mueck’s larger than life sculptures are uncomfortable to look at, yet also irresistibly riveting in a voyeuristic way. His pieces are like looking at hidden secrets, parts of ourselves that sometimes we prefer not to see. Currin’s older work involves massive body distortions. I believe that distortions like his help us to see things differently.”
Those varying shifts in perspective also apply to the way we view ourselves, and Nielsen works to bring out the hidden beauty she finds inherent in everyone. “I see how distortedly people see themselves and others and that’s a running theme in my figurative work,” she explains. “I think there’s beauty in all of us… often in those parts that we most dislike. At the same time I have a tendency to see things attractive that others find ugly or unattractive.”
Along those unconventional lines, her work has been said to carry a darkness to it, at odds with her cheery disposition and readiness to laugh. Nielsen herself doesn’t find her work dark, but she is always open to the views of others. According to her, “I don’t really see that darkness in my work. Another person told me that my distortions made my people ugly. I find them beautiful. So it’s all about our own perspective and perception of things… There are deliberate distortions in all the pieces in this show. Some are blatantly obvious, while others are subtle.”
These are bold paintings, in bold colors, and they are powerful enough to hold up in any setting. Like their creator, the images Nielsen produces are both strong and gregarious, delighting in their rich color, and dancing with verve. They are a celebration of life and all of its garish beauty, a bright beacon of one woman’s passion and artistic play.
“Color, pattern and mark-making are crucial components threading though all my work. I use arbitrary color frequently. I like bold, intense color. I’m passionate about life, what I do, what I involve myself with. I like colors that reflect that intensity and passion.”
The passion of a true artist often bumps up against the constraints of time and reality, and real life has a way of taking over the most disciplined and artistic among us. Familial roles and obligations sometimes take precedence over the work, and Nielsen had to find that balance over the years as a wife, mother, and widow. Her journey through raising a family and dealing with the loss of her husband will reverberate with many viewers, whether or not they’re artists as well.
“As a woman and mother I found that when I had young children I could only create things that were easily put down and picked up, so I made more craft-type pieces. When my children hit a certain age I found I could disappear into the studio for longer intervals and so then I was able to resume painting as my primary medium. (I needed bigger blocks of time to paint effectively.) How much I produce is a direct reflection of how many people there are and how they are integrated in my personal life. When my husband died I found I couldn’t paint for about six months and when I started back it was very hard to find focus with what I did. My children are now young adults. I’m not personally involved with anyone. I have the time to immerse myself with my work. I can disappear for a whole day at a time into my studio.”
It is a well-earned luxury that most artists would envy, and that Nielsen finds elemental and essential. “I think there are different purposes for art…to tell a story…to make you think… to make you feel… to show… to open your eyes. I hope that my art manages to do some portion of that. On another level, the process of creating is integral to whom I am. I view it as a “have-to”, much like air, water, food, and shelter is crucial to survive.”
Such is the drive of any artist – the sense that creation is not a choice, not a preference, but an integral part of survival. It’s the sort of passion that results in work like Hegemony – the piece of which Nielsen is currently most enamored, and one of the works to be featured in her February exhibition. She explains the thrust of this show as a simple matter of perspective.
““The Penile Colony” is a play on Kafka’s The Penal Colony and the obviousness of the subject matter. Most of my figurative works are in part stories that reflect how the subject matter and the artist view the subject matter. Usually what is distorted in the piece is something the subject finds ugly or unattractive about themselves. Some of the pieces are about things that the viewer might find uninspiring or unattractive, but that I find beautiful. So the whole show is really about perception and perspective.”
And penises – don’t forget the penises.
Thomasa Nielsen will be presenting her exhibition, “Perception and Perspective: The Penile Colony and Other Stories”, at the Romaine Brooks Gallery on Friday, February 4, 2011 from 5 to 9 PM as part of Albany’s 1st Friday Events. The Romaine Brooks Gallery is located on the third floor of the Pride Center at 332 Hudson Avenue, Albany, NY 12210.
